


Condors Need Both Wings to Fly

by Sandentwins



Series: The Fantastic Polyamorous Adventures of the Condor Kids [4]
Category: Taiyou no Ko Esteban | Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or | The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Illustrations, M/M, Marriage, Multi, Plans For The Future, Polyamory, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 12:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19085260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: They're growing up. They're changing, and the world is changing around them, and they try to adapt as best as they can.But even in the heart of uncertainty, they know they can count on one another.





	Condors Need Both Wings to Fly

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Il faut Deux Ailes aux Condors](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21090923) by [Sandentwins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins)



Love is a commitment. An effort, an investment, something ever sown yet rarely reaped. Love is difficult, and very demanding; not everyone can give enough of themselves to sustain a solid and lasting relationship. Taking a lover is a hard task, especially with ideals of marriage and lifelong partnership.

And taking two lovers at once is twice as hard. But this time, the benefits are reaped tenfold.

Such is what Zia quickly noticed, when the three of them had made their first steps in the world not as friends anymore, but as partners. It has been a time of hesitation, and an adventure perhaps greater than all of those they've known so far.

She couldn't recall when it began or what prompted the idea; it simply happened. The three of them have decided, out of a common impulse and desire, to join their lives along with their fates. It has been a childish, innocent decision they've taken at a time life _had_ to be enjoyed and celebrated, after being endangered in so many occasions. To their young teen minds, it has been but a way to convey their friendship in new, interesting ways, to give it something more official, like a pact being sealed between the three of them. Esteban, Zia and Tao, till death did them part; how amazing did that sound, back then? Perhaps more than it should have, for if they played along at first, they quickly forgot about it, as more and more pressing matters started to appear in their lives. And it became but a background thought, like a memory of some game they played in childhood.

Yet as they grew, it started to come back. Every now and then, when hands brushed together and faces got closer, their shy unease would be replaced with the fond remembrance of their former promise, and they'd use it as an excuse to not draw away from one another. It was natural for “lovers” to hold hands, to embrace each other and indulge in all sorts of tiny physical touches, wasn't it? Their make-believe pact might be a silly memory, but it still held on, and was a good enough justification for the curiosity that came with age, and all their little ways to satisfy it.

And so, they'd pretend. They'd pretend they were engaged, sometimes even married, and they'd play these roles together. It started with small things, with shy kisses and tender embraces; and then, as more time passed and adventures came and went, the pretend play became more daring. Playful dares and curious touches would give way to all sorts of things they've never been told about, and were eager to discover. Hands got sneaky, eyes got wandering, and mouths got lost more than once. Away from the world, in the privacy of their adventure and their golden steed, they'd give in little by little to these rising needs, these blossoming feelings whose intensity they were just discovering. No one could tell them whether or not they should be doing this, or whether it was acceptable, and they made full use of it. And with time, under their whispered words of affection that they've always spoken with a childish innocence, a newcoming sincerity was slowly growing as they witnessed, little by little, just how deeply enamored they were with one another.

As time passed still, as adventures kept going one after the other, as months slowly turned to years, their minds were growing along with their bodies. With every passing day, every new trial and every new discovery, they were gaining in maturity and seriousness. They started playing less, focusing more on the quest at hand. They started having doubts, asking themselves about everything they thought they knew, including their own relationship.

These doubts have been hard for Zia, who had never given them much thought. As time passed, the worries for her future that she's carefully tucked away since she was a little girl were starting to come back with haste. Even though her life and her fate were tightly linked to the quest for the Cities of Gold and the heritage of Mu, she knew she couldn't keep doing this forever. Soon the day would come where she would have to leave this life behind, and enter adulthood: to get married, to learn the crafts of womanhood, to think of having children and leaving something of herself behind. And the closer she got to that age, the more she worried about it. In some ways more than others.

She didn't mind the idea of marriage. She wanted to find someone to be happy with, to build a life with. Someone who'd accept to build a household with her. And she already had a couple choices in mind...but she couldn't bear to pick one. How could she choose between the radiant, cheerful, eager Esteban, and the crafty, determined, wise Tao? Ever since the three of them got together, it's always been these two trying to win Zia's heart over in some playful yet dead-serious rivalry. And while she had entertained their fancy for a time, if only to receive all their attention and pampering, it was now a hindrance more than anything. She couldn't get to choose between these boys, _her_ boys. Hot and cold as they were, she needed them equally to have a temperate life. She'd never be able to pick only one lifelong partner; so while they were still young, still in age to play games, she made good use of their roleplaying.

She got greedy. She got needy. These two were _her_ companions, and she accepted all they gave her. They were a team, a trio nothing could break, and not even the looming shadows of adulthood could force her to choose between them. To one she was bound by her origins, by her ancestry and the legacy she helped him bear; to the other by the medallions around their necks, by the roles they've been chosen for and that they needed to play. They both loved her, and she loved them both, and if it were up to her, she'd marry the both of them and live the happiest of lives she could.

It would be twice the effort, of course. But she was ready. She was willing to give it twice as much effort, commitment and time to make it work. Even if it meant breaking the traditions of her homeland.

Esteban never gave much thought about his adult life, for he was used to everything being chosen and decided for him. Tao had some plans, but they were always changing as opportunities came forth and disappeared, and he had a hard time making up his mind at all. It seemed like these questions were bound to stay for a long time still. So what they eventually decided to do, was to not worry about it. Things would come in time, after all. Their quest was far from over; perhaps it would never be truly done, and there would always be something they needed to attend to even once the seven Cities were unearthed and united. Otherwise, they would settle their personal matters after they retire from adventuring and land the Condor for the last time of their lives. Only time could tell.

Yet time wasn't in the mood to tell them much, it seemed. All it did was pass, and leave them with more and more doubts. By then, they weren't the same children who started this path a long time ago, for they weren't children anymore at all.

So much has changed over these last years, even though their goal was still somewhat the same. The more time they spent on the road, away from stable life and society, the less they started to care. Conventions taught by their respective upbringings were but distant memories, replaced with a lifestyle unique to them. The influences of all the people and cultures they've encountered over the years were slowly shaping their way to be, to act, to see the world around them; so much that they've become their own culture in turn, a society of three people and one parrot as they liked to call it.

For they've brought each other so much, and influenced one another in such ways that it only felt natural now. Esteban was starting to claim his Atlantean heritage more openly, to take pride in his affinity to the sun; Zia kept pushing the limits of the human mind to better understand her extrasensorial abilities; Tao hadn't mentioned his ancestors and their prodigies in months now, focusing on the present for once. They've grown so much since they were but tweens, and the questions that had plagued their minds years ago were finally starting to find their answers. It turned out that the answer to many of them was simple: time. Time and experience, were all they needed to figure it out. And the best way to gain them, was simply to let things happen without worry. To enjoy life in the present, and not fear what was to come, for it would come some other day.

And they couldn't do anything but enjoy their current life. By the time they came of age, they've flown over most of the known world, and seen so much more that maps couldn't yet tell. Every day was a new discovery, a new source of joy, a new thing to worry or care about. The Golden Condor wasn't a mere vehicle anymore, but a home they made in their image, and that barely held any secrets from them now. And while they still sometimes thought about settling down and pausing their adventures, or even stop altogether, they knew that nothing said they had to. After everything they've lived together, returning to a mundane life would be akin to torture. They didn't want to stay stuck in the same place, when there was still so much to be done and seen! So much to learn about the world, and how everything they know came to be!

Plus, even if they had no house to speak of, they did start to behave like a household. Still true to their pact, they all had their roles to play and duties to fill. Esteban was chartering their courses, piloting and ensuring the Condor's upkeep; Zia was warding away dangers, gathering food and doing most of the talking with other people; Tao was taking care of tasks such as cooking or mending clothes, and doing most of the research work for the sake of their quest. They were a team, a trio, a solid friendship; but with time, it became evident they were ready to be more. And the thought was coming up quite often now, never without bringing some red on their cheeks and smiles on their face. It seemed that another worry of theirs had found its answer.

They've already forsaken so many things of their past, that hindered them more than they brought them anything. One more wouldn't change anything to the way people saw them, or how they'd live from now on. It took another couple years to get accustomed to the thought, to talk things out and begin some genuine and serious courtship; but when the time was right, and when the three of them had made up their mind, they broke yet another rule.

That day, Zia became a bride, with a groom on each of her arms. That day, the pact became a solemn promise, sworn on the Seven Treasures of Mu and Atlantis, to stand by one another and care for one another, no matter what life had in store for them. Whatever had to happen, would happen; and they were ready to face it. Be it earth-shattering revelations, overpowered treasure hunting alchemists or couples' fights, they were ready.

That day, they made her feel like a princess. And that night, they treated her like a queen.

Zia didn't call herself greedy anymore. On the contrary, she had earned what she had now. She had refused to choose, and it led her to a point where she didn't have to; for both her boys, her men were with her, still loving her like on the day they sealed their childhood pact. They were still fighting over her, but it was in a harmless way, that vented out the steam of these hot-headed peacocks who tried to out-parade each other to catch her attention. Most of the time, it ended in playful banter and flirting, their flames harmonizing into something much more enjoyable. And the remaining times, she'd cave in and give the both of them her unending attention, for they deserved all she could offer. They were her treasures, her partners, and no one could make her feel guilty about how much she loved them and wanted them to love her. This life she led was perfect, and nothing could happen that'd make her regret it.

Yet somewhere in a corner of her mind, she kept fearing. Fearing that one day, she'll have to make a choice. That something will happen that'll force them to part from their ways, from their life, from that perfect nest of happiness they've built over time and travels. They may be wandering outcasts, but the world still had its eyes on them, and as long as people would be able to judge others, the three of them would fall to their judgment. Zia swore to herself to never let that happen; and, as if turning her back for good on whatever ill the world could say about them, she gave even more of herself for the sake of their household, of their marriage. She would defend it until all breath had left her body, until she had no more strength to fight back with, Sages be her witnesses.

But bent on warding away dangers as she was, she failed to take notice of what was happening within their partnership itself. And before she knew it, the blooms of their love had borne fruit; for within her body, she could feel the faint signs of a new life growing.

It seemed her childhood aspirations had eventually caught up to her. She first felt great surprise at it, and some confusion too, but then the idea nestled its way into her mind, and she welcomed it happily. Motherhood has always fascinated her; during their travels, she's met many mothers of varied cultures, who all had some insight and interesting view on having and raising children. And she's never breathed a word of it to Esteban or Tao, but deep down she's always wanted to try it. To raise a little one of their own, to add the cheer and joys of childhood back into their household. To give it that little something it needed to call them a family.

But soon, her joy got tarnished with more worries that surfaced from some unknown depths. As much as she loved her husbands and made sure to give them an equal share of her heart and her life, this child she carried didn't know that. She might have broken many rules of people, but she couldn't break the rules of nature: this baby could only have one father. She had no clue as to which of her partners it could be, and without a doubt the birth of this child would rekindle the old conflict between Esteban and Tao, that never truly died out despite their love. Whoever had fathered her first child would have an unspoken upper hand over the other, a legitimacy recognized even by creatures of nature, and whoever hadn't would be left out where no amount of love and promises would make up for what chance was lost. And at the thought of her partners fighting over her once more, Zia's heart sank in her chest.

As long as she could, she stayed silent. She hid her condition and managed to avoid suspicion; but her changing body was betraying her. Soon no clothes would be loose enough to hide that telltale curve, no eyes that have known her for so long would lay on her without noticing something was wrong. She feared she would have to do the unspeakable, and get rid of it as to not cause any fight that could tear their couple apart; but the thought of killing her own child because of her fears made her ashamed of herself. She couldn't do it. She had...she had to tell them the truth.

It was yet another trial being sent their way, another obstacle on the twisted path of fate. Another hardship to face, that she was determined to face head-on. She had to remember she wasn't alone, and that she trusted her partners to do the right choice. They were adults now, they would solve this issue like such. They would face this problem together, like they've always done.

What she didn't know, however, was that where she saw a source of worry, Esteban and Tao only saw joy. Overcome as they were with happiness when she announced her pregnancy, they didn't even consider the problem of parenty until way after they were done smothering her in affection and cheer. And already she could feel the sparks of rivalry crackle between them, only waiting to ignite.

But things have changed. They were not bickering children anymore. They were a family, now, and had to act as such. They who had been without parents since their earliest years, could now give that child, _their_ child, what they didn't have in their own youth. They both could be that little one's father, no matter whom they'd look like or what people thought was legitimate or not. Such was the promise they've all made, and that they'd all keep.

Their family had transcended continents, ancestral feuds and social expectations; it could very well transcend blood ties. Such was the thought that calmed Zia's anxieties once more, and that she kept with her at all times. She had the chance to give this baby a real childhood, in a household that'd love it and care for it no matter what. She had the chance to give it a mother's love, like they've all had but forgot about; and she would fight, she would _strive_ so that her baby, _their_ baby remembers it, and never forgets how much its parents love it.

Maybe one day, she'll get to give her daughter the medallion that her own foremothers have passed on to her. One day, a new adventure will take place, in the world that saw the Cities of Gold awaken again, and this time Zia will not be taking part; but she will be there, and Tao and Esteban will be there too, and the three of them will get to see their little one fly with her own wings, and carry on the never-ending legacy of the solar empires.

No matter what adventures she'll live in this new world, their child will always have a home to come back to. And the three of them will wait for her return.


End file.
